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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: cell · press · rash · fork · cue · saw · vault · bark

  1. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. cue — a hint
  3. saw — the tool
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. press — to push
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. press — newspapers
  9. cue — for pool
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. saw — the tool
  12. bark — to shout
  13. cue — a signal
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. vault — a safe
  16. cell — a phone
  17. fork — in a road
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. rash — hasty
  21. cell — in biology
  22. press — a publisher
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. rash — a series

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com